#some kid figuring things out for the first time not. not a 250 million USD show on netflix

[funnyscienceman]

oh i just remembered that bit in act 2 where jinx has a little breakdown a la s1e9 after sevika tells her isha got taken by the enforcers

that was very funny

like yknow the writer's reliance on old tools from the first season without really understanding Why... those things worked. or why they were used and How in the first place

just like. tell me you dont know how to write a story without telling me you dont know how to write a story

[touristguidebuzz]

How to Travel Around Madagascar

Madagascar. It’s more than an incorrect (but fun) DreamWorks movie. Located off the eastern coast of Africa, this island, nearly the size of France and the third largest in the world, has a population over 20 million but sees only about 325,000 tourists a year.1 I spent two weeks there with Intrepid Travel Travel and was surprised by how few tourists there were (I figured — with no data to back it up — that there would be a lot more), as well as by just how difficult the country was to travel around. The roads are really, really bad. It can take up to eight hours to go 250 km (155 miles) — and that’s on the good roads!

But soon it became clear why there were so few tourists: getting to the country is expensive, there’s very little information about it online, few organized activities, and no hostels, tourism information centers, helpful signs, or anything that would be considered a “tourist infrastructure” (and sadly, very little infrastructure at all). Madagascar’s tourism caters to older Europeans who visit expensive beach resorts or take organized tours, moving around the country in a little bubble. Nary a backpacker did I see on my trip.

Madagascar is a raw, barely explored place. It’s on few people’s radar, and I doubt it will be for awhile, making now an ideal time to go. It’s cheap (once you get there), your tourist dollars can create a really positive impact, and there are few crowds and many cute lemurs and majestic landscapes, which you get virtually to yourself!

How to get there

The first thing you need to know is that getting to Madagascar is not easy: there’s only one daily flight from Johannesburg, Air France has one daily from Paris, and only Turkish, Kenyan, and Ethiopian Airlines have flights that connect to other destinations.

I jumped on a flight deal to Johannesburg ($630 USD for New York to Johannesburg and then onward to Vienna) but that was a stupid thing to do. Given the price of flights from JNB to Madagascar (I paid $800 USD round-trip), it ended costing me more than just booking a direct ticket to Madagascar.

I was pretty stupid not looking up flights enough beforehand and waiting until the last minute, but even “booking smart” doesn’t mean you’ll find a deal. Here’s a chart for December and January (these are a little cheaper since they are not last-minute and it’s low season):

You’re looking at spending at least $500 USD round-trip on a flight from Johannesburg. From Paris, Air France offers direct round-trip flights for around $800 USD. If you are going from the US, you pay around $1,200 USD for a round-trip ticket. Keep in mind those are low season (October-April) flights. During the high season (also the dry season), you’re looking at flights closer to $2,000 USD for the US and $1,200 USD from Europe. From Canada? Prices start around $1,200 CAD in the low season.

However, it’s not all bad news. There are a few travel hacking opportunities. With some planning, you can find a reward flight. You only need 30,000 miles each way from Europe, and Air France has a decent availability (but if you miss the 30,000-point option, you’ll be looking at 60-90,000 points each way). United has very sporadic reward flights on partners starting at 40,000 miles each way, but, sadly, no flights from Johannesburg to Madagascar are bookable on points. Here’s what I mean:

So it takes some work to get there, but if you can string together some flight deals (check out Scott’s Cheap Flights, The Flight Deal, and Holiday Pirates) as well as mile opportunities, you can lower the cost to an affordable(ish) level.

How to get around Madagascar

Organized tours are the most common way to visit the country. One guide told me that about 80% of visitors come on organized tours, and the other 20% hire a private driver to get around. Most of the tourists are an older, very heavily European crowd. I guess that most younger travelers stay away because getting to the country and tours are so expensive and there’s just not much information on Madagascar.

But let’s change that and talk about how to visit the country:

Organized tours A 14-day tour will cost $2,500–4,000 USD. You’ll stay in mid-range hotels (private bathrooms, hot water, breakfast, and maybe even a pool) and have your own bus with a driver and local guide. You’ll also get private guides at each park who will explain what you’re seeing, help spot animals, and give some added context on the destination. Most of the tours follow the same route, hitting all the big parks and destinations in the center of the country, with added paid add-ons to other parts of the country.

I went with Intrepid Travel Travel on its Experience Madagascar tour as part of my site’s partnership with them. Our guide Patrick was a phenomenal resource, answering all my questions, providing advice, and giving tips on what to see and do in this country that lacks a lot of resources to research.

If it were up to me, I would have focused the trip’s itinerary more. I think Intrepid Travel sometimes tries to do too much; for example, the trip to Ile Sainte Marie adds way to much time on the bus. While I liked everything we did, I wish there had been more time visiting each place and less time driving.

Going on your own Madagascar is a difficult place to do solo. There’s no tourist infrastructure or hostels, information is limited, and public buses don’t go to many cities and national parks. You’ll need to know French, too, as English is barely spoken. In my opinion, this makes it really arduous to get around without any assistance.

But could you travel around on your own? Sure — though very few people do, it’s totally possible to visit solo. But I think you’d need to be an experienced traveler, really OK being pushed out of your comfort zone, and in absolutely no rush, because getting around on a budget will take time. Since the roads are really bad, getting from point A to B is a challenge. In a public taxi brouse (small van packed to the gills with people), you’ll move slowly. Buses go when they are full. There’s no set timetable. Sometimes they show up; more often than not, they don’t.

(However, seeing the condition of the buses and how many people they cram in there, plus the number of accidents on the road, I’m not sure I’d even get in one. I wouldn’t want to spend 24 hours packed like a chicken in a van with no air conditioning (and sometimes not even windows). I have too much anxiety to whip around on narrow roads.)

Renting a car and driver costs $50 USD a day (or slightly more if you want 4WD) and is the most popular option for people looking to go on their own (and not wanting to wait for the buses). While you could drive on your own, most of the companies I looked at required that a driver go with you.

You can also fly around the island, but there’s only one airline (Air Madagascar), and most routes cost around 200 euros per leg.

Going with the flow is key here if you want to travel solo. You either have to pick a small area to cover or have a month or more set aside to explore Madagascar thoroughly.

So, what should you do? If you’re really looking for some rugged, old-school independent travel, Madagascar is the place to do it. If you have lots of time and are up for a real challenge, go solo but give yourself plenty of time to do so — and learn French! (I really can’t stress the need for knowing French. Outside the big towns and a few tourist areas, English is barely spoken.) You’ll cover slightly more ground and have a lot more freedom if you rent a car and driver.

If you aren’t looking for that kind of rugged experience and would like something more organized, a tour is the best – and really only – option. I wanted a tour to help me get the lay of the land and answer all my questions about the country. Additionally, I don’t speak French and didn’t have a lot of time. A tour was a great orientation to a country that was an enigma to me. It was a wonderful way to meet people in a destination with few independent travelers. (One thing to remember is that the clientele of the tours here is older and the tours cater to that in their itineraries, activities, and accommodation. The tours here aren’t designed for active backpackers.)

If I went back, I’d go by myself but I’m glad I went with a tour on my first visit.

Is Madagascar safe?

When I was wandering around, I never once felt unsafe. I was more of a curiosity than anything ,since they see so few tourists, especially those not ensconced in a bus. There are a lot of beggars, especially kids, and you have to just keep saying no and walking away. The taxi drivers here take no for an answer and no one really bugs you.

That said, crime is rife throughout the country, and not one local I knew recommended going out after dark. They don’t even do it. In fact, many hotels in the capital of Antananarivo hire escorts to take people from the hotel to bars or restaurants.

During the day and, especially in smaller villages, walking around is perfectly fine. At night, I would use a lot more caution, especially in the capital.

What are prices like?

Though getting to the country is expensive, once you are there everything is incredibly cheap. Your money goes a long, long way in Madagascar. I went to a local market and spent 100 ARY on a spring roll. After realizing that there are 3,000 ARY to the dollar, that meant I had paid just three cents. As I was still hungry, I bought 15 more.

Even when you are eating at the hotel restaurants the tours go to, most meals aren’t more than $4 USD. In regular, local restaurants, they are half that price.

Madagascar food is mostly chicken, zebu (a type of cattle), pork, stews, and rice. LOTS OF RICE. (Get the Zebu in a stew. It’s better that way.) There’s also a lot of surprisingly good pizza in this country. You’ll definitely need to know French if you go into the non-international places (or travel outside of the cities).

Even on the road, there are a lot of restaurants (again, knowing French is going to be key here, especially outside the capital Antananarivo). Hotels are $20-50 USD per night (on the cheaper range outside the capital). You can easily find accommodation on booking.com. Keep in mind that, again, there are no hostels in the country.

Here are some typical prices:

Meals at restaurants that cater to tourists – 10,000-25,000 ARY ($3-8 USD)

Meals at regular, local restaurants – 3,000-6,000 ($1-2 USD)

Street snacks – 10-200 ARY (up to 5 cents US) (Be sure to try the nem (spring rolls). They are incredible!)

Accommodation – 65,000-160,000 ARY per night ($20-50 USD)

Car with a driver – 160,000 ARY a day ($50 USD)

Grocery prices – 10,000 ARY ($3 USD) (This would get you a kilo of rice, some zebu, and a variety of vegetables.)

SIM Card – 3,100 ARY ($1 USD) for a SIM and 25,000 ARY ($8 USD) per gig of data.

Park entrance fees – 55,000 Ariary ($17 USD) and guides start at 20,000 AR ($6 USD)

Local mini buses – 10,000 – 20,000 ARY ($3-6 USD)

***

Madagascar was a beautiful, raw, and enchanting country. There’s no place like it on earth. Far off the tourist trail, this a destination where your inner Indiana Jones or Anthony Bourdain can be set free to explore. I’m so glad I went, and though the old traveler adage is “I can’t wait to go back,” I suspect that my visit to Madagascar will be the only one in my lifetime. I hope I’m wrong, but given the difficulty getting there, it really can be a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

And I hope you make it in your lifetime!

1 – Official stats are 293,000 but I’ve seen higher and lower figures so consider this an estimate. Links: Source and Source

Note: I went to Madagascar with Intrepid Travel as part of our ongoing partnership. They paid for the tour and my expenses during the trip. I paid for my flights to and from Madagascar. They offer 10% off their tours to readers so click the link and save on your next trip.

P.S. – Want to step up your travel hacking game? I’m speaking at Frequent Traveler University’s Expo in Chicago on November 18th. It’s the world’s largest travel, points, and miles event and there are some good speakers there. You can click here to get your ticket. Also, as a reader of this site, you get 75% off the ticket price with the code “NOMAD”.

The post How to Travel Around Madagascar appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

[fadingfartconnoisseur]

How to Travel Around Madagascar

Madagascar. It’s more than an incorrect (but fun) DreamWorks movie. Located off the eastern coast of Africa, this island, nearly the size of France and the third largest in the world, has a population over 20 million but sees only about 325,000 tourists a year.1 I spent two weeks there with Intrepid Travel Travel and was surprised by how few tourists there were (I figured — with no data to back it up — that there would be a lot more), as well as by just how difficult the country was to travel around. The roads are really, really bad. It can take up to eight hours to go 250 km (155 miles) — and that’s on the good roads!

But soon it became clear why there were so few tourists: getting to the country is expensive, there’s very little information about it online, few organized activities, and no hostels, tourism information centers, helpful signs, or anything that would be considered a “tourist infrastructure” (and sadly, very little infrastructure at all). Madagascar’s tourism caters to older Europeans who visit expensive beach resorts or take organized tours, moving around the country in a little bubble. Nary a backpacker did I see on my trip.

Madagascar is a raw, barely explored place. It’s on few people’s radar, and I doubt it will be for awhile, making now an ideal time to go. It’s cheap (once you get there), your tourist dollars can create a really positive impact, and there are few crowds and many cute lemurs and majestic landscapes, which you get virtually to yourself!

How to get there

The first thing you need to know is that getting to Madagascar is not easy: there’s only one daily flight from Johannesburg, Air France has one daily from Paris, and only Turkish, Kenyan, and Ethiopian Airlines have flights that connect to other destinations.

I jumped on a flight deal to Johannesburg ($630 USD for New York to Johannesburg and then onward to Vienna) but that was a stupid thing to do. Given the price of flights from JNB to Madagascar (I paid $800 USD round-trip), it ended costing me more than just booking a direct ticket to Madagascar.

I was pretty stupid not looking up flights enough beforehand and waiting until the last minute, but even “booking smart” doesn’t mean you’ll find a deal. Here’s a chart for December and January (these are a little cheaper since they are not last-minute and it’s low season):

You’re looking at spending at least $500 USD round-trip on a flight from Johannesburg. From Paris, Air France offers direct round-trip flights for around $800 USD. If you are going from the US, you pay around $1,200 USD for a round-trip ticket. Keep in mind those are low season (October-April) flights. During the high season (also the dry season), you’re looking at flights closer to $2,000 USD for the US and $1,200 USD from Europe. From Canada? Prices start around $1,200 CAD in the low season.

However, it’s not all bad news. There are a few travel hacking opportunities. With some planning, you can find a reward flight. You only need 30,000 miles each way from Europe, and Air France has a decent availability (but if you miss the 30,000-point option, you’ll be looking at 60-90,000 points each way). United has very sporadic reward flights on partners starting at 40,000 miles each way, but, sadly, no flights from Johannesburg to Madagascar are bookable on points. Here’s what I mean:

So it takes some work to get there, but if you can string together some flight deals (check out Scott’s Cheap Flights, The Flight Deal, and Holiday Pirates) as well as mile opportunities, you can lower the cost to an affordable(ish) level.

How to get around Madagascar

Organized tours are the most common way to visit the country. One guide told me that about 80% of visitors come on organized tours, and the other 20% hire a private driver to get around. Most of the tourists are an older, very heavily European crowd. I guess that most younger travelers stay away because getting to the country and tours are so expensive and there’s just not much information on Madagascar.

But let’s change that and talk about how to visit the country:

Organized tours A 14-day tour will cost $2,500–4,000 USD. You’ll stay in mid-range hotels (private bathrooms, hot water, breakfast, and maybe even a pool) and have your own bus with a driver and local guide. You’ll also get private guides at each park who will explain what you’re seeing, help spot animals, and give some added context on the destination. Most of the tours follow the same route, hitting all the big parks and destinations in the center of the country, with added paid add-ons to other parts of the country.

I went with Intrepid Travel Travel on its Experience Madagascar tour as part of my site’s partnership with them. Our guide Patrick was a phenomenal resource, answering all my questions, providing advice, and giving tips on what to see and do in this country that lacks a lot of resources to research.

If it were up to me, I would have focused the trip’s itinerary more. I think Intrepid Travel sometimes tries to do too much; for example, the trip to Ile Sainte Marie adds way to much time on the bus. While I liked everything we did, I wish there had been more time visiting each place and less time driving.

Going on your own Madagascar is a difficult place to do solo. There’s no tourist infrastructure or hostels, information is limited, and public buses don’t go to many cities and national parks. You’ll need to know French, too, as English is barely spoken. In my opinion, this makes it really arduous to get around without any assistance.

But could you travel around on your own? Sure — though very few people do, it’s totally possible to visit solo. But I think you’d need to be an experienced traveler, really OK being pushed out of your comfort zone, and in absolutely no rush, because getting around on a budget will take time. Since the roads are really bad, getting from point A to B is a challenge. In a public taxi brouse (small van packed to the gills with people), you’ll move slowly. Buses go when they are full. There’s no set timetable. Sometimes they show up; more often than not, they don’t.

(However, seeing the condition of the buses and how many people they cram in there, plus the number of accidents on the road, I’m not sure I’d even get in one. I wouldn’t want to spend 24 hours packed like a chicken in a van with no air conditioning (and sometimes not even windows). I have too much anxiety to whip around on narrow roads.)

Renting a car and driver costs $50 USD a day (or slightly more if you want 4WD) and is the most popular option for people looking to go on their own (and not wanting to wait for the buses). While you could drive on your own, most of the companies I looked at required that a driver go with you.

You can also fly around the island, but there’s only one airline (Air Madagascar), and most routes cost around 200 euros per leg.

Going with the flow is key here if you want to travel solo. You either have to pick a small area to cover or have a month or more set aside to explore Madagascar thoroughly.

So, what should you do? If you’re really looking for some rugged, old-school independent travel, Madagascar is the place to do it. If you have lots of time and are up for a real challenge, go solo but give yourself plenty of time to do so — and learn French! (I really can’t stress the need for knowing French. Outside the big towns and a few tourist areas, English is barely spoken.) You’ll cover slightly more ground and have a lot more freedom if you rent a car and driver.

If you aren’t looking for that kind of rugged experience and would like something more organized, a tour is the best – and really only – option. I wanted a tour to help me get the lay of the land and answer all my questions about the country. Additionally, I don’t speak French and didn’t have a lot of time. A tour was a great orientation to a country that was an enigma to me. It was a wonderful way to meet people in a destination with few independent travelers. (One thing to remember is that the clientele of the tours here is older and the tours cater to that in their itineraries, activities, and accommodation. The tours here aren’t designed for active backpackers.)

If I went back, I’d go by myself but I’m glad I went with a tour on my first visit.

Is Madagascar safe?

When I was wandering around, I never once felt unsafe. I was more of a curiosity than anything ,since they see so few tourists, especially those not ensconced in a bus. There are a lot of beggars, especially kids, and you have to just keep saying no and walking away. The taxi drivers here take no for an answer and no one really bugs you.

That said, crime is rife throughout the country, and not one local I knew recommended going out after dark. They don’t even do it. In fact, many hotels in the capital of Antananarivo hire escorts to take people from the hotel to bars or restaurants.

During the day and, especially in smaller villages, walking around is perfectly fine. At night, I would use a lot more caution, especially in the capital.

What are prices like?

Though getting to the country is expensive, once you are there everything is incredibly cheap. Your money goes a long, long way in Madagascar. I went to a local market and spent 100 ARY on a spring roll. After realizing that there are 3,000 ARY to the dollar, that meant I had paid just three cents. As I was still hungry, I bought 15 more.

Even when you are eating at the hotel restaurants the tours go to, most meals aren’t more than $4 USD. In regular, local restaurants, they are half that price.

Madagascar food is mostly chicken, zebu (a type of cattle), pork, stews, and rice. LOTS OF RICE. (Get the Zebu in a stew. It’s better that way.) There’s also a lot of surprisingly good pizza in this country. You’ll definitely need to know French if you go into the non-international places (or travel outside of the cities).

Even on the road, there are a lot of restaurants (again, knowing French is going to be key here, especially outside the capital Antananarivo). Hotels are $20-50 USD per night (on the cheaper range outside the capital). You can easily find accommodation on booking.com. Keep in mind that, again, there are no hostels in the country.

Here are some typical prices:

Meals at restaurants that cater to tourists – 10,000-25,000 ARY ($3-8 USD)

Meals at regular, local restaurants – 3,000-6,000 ($1-2 USD)

Street snacks – 10-200 ARY (up to 5 cents US) (Be sure to try the nem (spring rolls). They are incredible!)

Accommodation – 65,000-160,000 ARY per night ($20-50 USD)

Car with a driver – 160,000 ARY a day ($50 USD)

Grocery prices – 10,000 ARY ($3 USD) (This would get you a kilo of rice, some zebu, and a variety of vegetables.)

SIM Card – 3,100 ARY ($1 USD) for a SIM and 25,000 ARY ($8 USD) per gig of data.

Park entrance fees – 55,000 Ariary ($17 USD) and guides start at 20,000 AR ($6 USD)

Local mini buses – 10,000 – 20,000 ARY ($3-6 USD)

***

Madagascar was a beautiful, raw, and enchanting country. There’s no place like it on earth. Far off the tourist trail, this a destination where your inner Indiana Jones or Anthony Bourdain can be set free to explore. I’m so glad I went, and though the old traveler adage is “I can’t wait to go back,” I suspect that my visit to Madagascar will be the only one in my lifetime. I hope I’m wrong, but given the difficulty getting there, it really can be a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

And I hope you make it in your lifetime!

1 – Official stats are 293,000 but I’ve seen higher and lower figures so consider this an estimate. Links: Source and Source

Note: I went to Madagascar with Intrepid Travel as part of our ongoing partnership. They paid for the tour and my expenses during the trip. I paid for my flights to and from Madagascar. They offer 10% off their tours to readers so click the link and save on your next trip.

P.S. – Want to step up your travel hacking game? I’m speaking at Frequent Traveler University’s Expo in Chicago on November 18th. It’s the world’s largest travel, points, and miles event and there are some good speakers there. You can click here to get your ticket. Also, as a reader of this site, you get 75% off the ticket price with the code “NOMAD”.

The post How to Travel Around Madagascar appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

via Travel Blogs http://ift.tt/2hvKG14

[tamboradventure]

How to Travel Around Madagascar

Madagascar. It’s more than an incorrect (but fun) Pixar movie. Located off the eastern coast of Africa, this island, nearly the size of France and the third largest in the world, has a population over 20 million but sees only about 325,000 tourists a year.1 I spent two weeks there with Intrepid Travel Travel and was surprised by how few tourists there were (I figured — with no data to back it up — that there would be a lot more), as well as by just how difficult the country was to travel around. The roads are really, really bad. It can take up to eight hours to go 250 km (155 miles) — and that’s on the good roads!

But soon it became clear why there were so few tourists: getting to the country is expensive, there’s very little information about it online, few organized activities, and no hostels, tourism information centers, helpful signs, or anything that would be considered a “tourist infrastructure” (and sadly, very little infrastructure at all). Madagascar’s tourism caters to older Europeans who visit expensive beach resorts or take organized tours, moving around the country in little bubble. Nary a backpacker did I see on my trip.

Madagascar is a raw, barely explored place. It’s on few people’s radar, and I doubt it will be for awhile, making now an ideal time to go. It’s cheap (once you get there), your tourist dollars can create a really positive impact, and there are few crowds and many cute lemurs and majestic landscapes, which you get virtually to yourself!

How to get there

The first thing you need to know is that getting to Madagascar is not easy: there’s only one daily flight from Johannesburg, Air France has one daily from Paris, and only Turkish, Kenyan, and Ethiopian Airlines have flights that connect to other destinations.

I jumped on a flight deal to Johannesburg ($630 USD for New York to Johannesburg and then onward to Vienna) but that was a stupid thing to do. Given the price of flights from JNB to Madagascar (I paid $800 USD round-trip), it ended costing me more than just booking a direct ticket to Madagascar.

I was pretty stupid not looking up flights enough beforehand and waiting until the last minute, but even “booking smart” doesn’t mean you’ll find a deal. Here’s a chart for December and January (these are a little cheaper since they are not last-minute and it’s low season):

You’re looking at spending at least $500 USD round-trip on a flight from Johannesburg. From Paris, Air France offers direct round-trip flights for around $800 USD. If you are going from the US, you pay around $1,200 USD for a round-trip ticket. Keep in mind those are low season (October-April) flights. During the high season (also the dry season), you’re looking at flights closer to $2,000 USD for the US and $1,200 USD from Europe. From Canada? Prices start around $1,200 CAD in the low season.

However, it’s not all bad news. There are a few travel hacking opportunities. With some planning you can find a reward flight. You only need 30,000 miles each way from Europe, and Air France has a decent availability (but if you miss the 30,000-point option, you’ll be looking at 60-90,000 points each way). United has very sporadic reward flights on partners starting at 40,000 miles each way, but, sadly, no flights from Johannesburg to Madagascar are bookable on points. Here’s an what I mean:

So it takes some work to get there, but if you can string together some flight deals (check out Scott’s Cheap Flights, The Flight Deal, and Holiday Pirates) as well as mile opportunities, you can lower the cost to an affordable(ish) level.

How to get around Madagascar

Organized tours are the most common way to visit the country. One guide told me that about 80% of visitors come on organized tours, and the other 20% hire a private driver to get around. Most of the tourists are an older, very heavily European crowd. I guess that most younger travelers stay away because getting to the country and tours are so expensive and there’s just not much information on Madagascar.

But let’s change that and talk about how to visit the country:

Organized tours A 14-day tour will cost $2,500–4,000 USD. You’ll stay in mid-range hotels (private bathrooms, hot water, breakfast, and maybe even a pool) and have your own bus with a driver and local guide. You’ll also get private guides at each park who will explain what you’re seeing, help spot animals, and give some added context on the destination. Most of the tours follow the same route, hitting all the big parks and destinations in the center of the country, with added paid add-ons to other parts of the country.

I went with Intrepid Travel Travel on its Experience Madagascar tour as part of my site’s partnership with them. Our guide Patrick was a phenomenal resource, answering all my questions, providing advice, and giving tips on what to see and do in this country that lacks a lot of resources to research.

If it were up to me, I would have focused the trip’s itinerary more. I think Intrepid Travel sometimes tries to do too much; for example, the trip to Ile Saint Marie adds way to much time in the bus. While I liked everything we did, I wish there had been more time visiting each place and less time driving.

Going on your own Madagascar is difficult place to do solo. There’s no tourist infrastructure or hostels, information is limited, and public buses don’t go to many cities and national parks. You’ll need to know French, too, as English is barely spoken. In my opinion, this makes it really arduous to get around without any assistance.

But could you travel around on your own? Sure — though very few people do, it’s totally possible to visit solo. But I think you’d need to be an experienced traveler, really OK being pushed out of your comfort zone, and in absolutely no rush, because getting around on a budget will take time. Since the roads are really bad, getting from point A to B is a challenge. In a public taxi brouse (small van packed to the gills with people), you’ll move slowly. Buses go when they are full. There’s no set timetable. Sometimes they show up; more often than not, they don’t.

(However, seeing the condition of the buses and how many people they cram in there, plus the number of accidents on the road, I’m not sure I’d even get in one. I wouldn’t want to spend 24 hours packed like a chicken in a van with no air conditioning (and sometimes not even windows). I have too much anxiety to whip around on narrow roads.)

Renting a car and driver costs $50 USD a day (or slightly more if you want 4WD) and is the most popular option for people looking to go on their own (and not wanting to wait for the buses). While you could drive on your own, most of the companies I looked at required that a driver go with you.

You can also fly around the island, but there’s only one airline (Air Madagascar), and most routes cost around 200 euros per leg.

Going with the flow is key here if you want to travel solo. You either have to pick a small area to cover or have a month or more set aside to explore Madagascar thoroughly.

So, what should you do? If you’re really looking for some rugged, old-school independent travel, Madagascar is the place to do it. If you have lots of time and are up for a real challenge, go solo but give yourself plenty of time to do so — and learn French! (I really can’t stress the need for knowing French. Outside the big towns and a few tourist areas, English is barely spoken.) You’ll cover slightly more ground and have a lot more freedom if you rent a car and driver.

If you aren’t looking for that kind of rugged experience and would like something more organized, a tour is the best – and really only – option. I wanted a tour to help me get the lay of the land and answer all my questions about the country. Additionally, I don’t speak French and didn’t have a lot of time. A tour was a great orientation to a country that was an enigma to me. It was a wonderful way to meet people in a destination with few independent travelers. (One thing to remember is that the clientele of the tours here is older and the tours cater to that in their itineraries, activities, and accommodation. The tours here aren’t designed for active backpackers.)

If I went back, I’d go by myself but I’m glad I went with a tour on my first visit.

Is Madagascar safe?

When I was wandering around, I never once felt unsafe. I was more of a curiosity than anything, since they see so few tourists, especially those not ensconced in a bus. There are a lot of beggars, especially kids, and you have to just keep saying no and walking away. The taxi drivers here take no for an answer and no one really bugs you.

That said, crime is rife throughout the country, and not one local I knew recommended going out after dark. They don’t even do it. In fact, many hotels in the capital of Antananarivo hire escorts to take people from the hotel to bars or restaurants.

During the day and, especially in smaller villages, walking around is perfectly fine. At night, I would use a lot more caution, especially in the capital.

What are prices like?

Though getting to the country is expensive, once you are there everything is incredibly cheap. Your money goes a long, long way in Madagascar. I went to a local market and spent 100 ARY on a spring roll. After realizing that there are 3,000 ARY to the dollar, that meant I had paid just three cents. As I was still hungry, I bought 15 more.

Even when you are eating at the hotel restaurants the tours go to, most meals aren’t more than $4 USD. In regular, local restaurants, they are half that price.

Madagascar food is mostly chicken, zebu (a type of cattle), pork, stews, and rice. LOTS OF RICE. (Get the Zebu in a stew. It’s better that way.) There’s also a lot of surprisingly good pizza in this country. You’ll definitely need to know French if you go into the non-international places (or travel outside of the cities).

Even on the road, there are a lot of restaurants (again, knowing French is going to be key here, especially outside the capital Antananarivo). Hotels are $20-50 USD per night (on the cheaper range outside the capital). You can easily find accommodation on booking.com. Keep in mind that, again, there are no hostels in the country.

Here are some typical prices:

Meals at restaurants that cater to tourists – 10,000-25,000 ARY ($3-8 USD)

Meals at regular, local restaurants – 3,000-6,000 ($1-2 USD)

Street snacks – 10-200 ARY (up to 5 cents US) (Be sure to try the nem (spring rolls). They are incredible!)

Accommodation – 65,000-160,000 ARY per night ($20-50 USD)

Car with a driver – 160,000 ARY a day ($50 USD)

Grocery prices – 10,000 ARY ($3 USD) (This would get you a kilo of rice, some zebu, and a variety of vegetables.)

SIM Card – 3,100 ARY ($1 USD) for a SIM and 25,000 ARY ($8 USD) per gig of data.

Park entrance fees – 55,000 Ariary ($17 USD) and guides start at 20,000 AR ($6 USD)

Local mini buses – 10,000 – 20,000 ARY ($3-6 USD)

***

Madagascar was a beautiful, raw, and enchanting country. There’s no place like it on earth. Far off the tourist trail, this a destination where your inner Indiana Jones or Anthony Bourdain can be set free to explore. I’m so glad I went, and though the old traveler adage is “I can’t wait to go back,” I suspect that my visit to Madagascar will be the only one in my lifetime. I hope I’m wrong, but given the difficulty getting there, it really can be a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

And I hope you make it in your lifetime!

1 – Official stats are 293,000 but I’ve seen higher and lower figures so consider this an estimate. Links: Source and Source

Note: I went to Madagascar with Intrepid Travel as part of our ongoing partnership. They paid for the tour and my expenses during the trip. I paid for my flights to and from Madagascar. They offer 10% off their tours to readers so click the link and save on your next trip.

P.S. – Want to step up your travel hacking game? I’m speaking at Frequent Traveler University’s Expo in Chicago on November 18th. It’s the world’s largest travel, points, and miles event and there are some good speakers there. You can click here to get your ticket. Also, as a reader of this site, you get 75% off the ticket price with the code “NOMAD”.

The post How to Travel Around Madagascar appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

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[theladyjstyle]

Madagascar. It’s more than an incorrect (but fun) Pixar movie. Located off the eastern coast of Africa, this island, nearly the size of France and the third largest in the world, has a population over 20 million but sees only about 325,000 tourists a year.1 I spent two weeks there with Intrepid Travel Travel and was surprised by how few tourists there were (I figured — with no data to back it up — that there would be a lot more), as well as by just how difficult the country was to travel around. The roads are really, really bad. It can take up to eight hours to go 250 km (155 miles) — and that’s on the good roads!

But soon it became clear why there were so few tourists: getting to the country is expensive, there’s very little information about it online, few organized activities, and no hostels, tourism information centers, helpful signs, or anything that would be considered a “tourist infrastructure” (and sadly, very little infrastructure at all). Madagascar’s tourism caters to older Europeans who visit expensive beach resorts or take organized tours, moving around the country in little bubble. Nary a backpacker did I see on my trip.

Madagascar is a raw, barely explored place. It’s on few people’s radar, and I doubt it will be for awhile, making now an ideal time to go. It’s cheap (once you get there), your tourist dollars can create a really positive impact, and there are few crowds and many cute lemurs and majestic landscapes, which you get virtually to yourself!

How to get there

The first thing you need to know is that getting to Madagascar is not easy: there’s only one daily flight from Johannesburg, Air France has one daily from Paris, and only Turkish, Kenyan, and Ethiopian Airlines have flights that connect to other destinations.

I jumped on a flight deal to Johannesburg ($630 USD for New York to Johannesburg and then onward to Vienna) but that was a stupid thing to do. Given the price of flights from JNB to Madagascar (I paid $800 USD round-trip), it ended costing me more than just booking a direct ticket to Madagascar.

I was pretty stupid not looking up flights enough beforehand and waiting until the last minute, but even “booking smart” doesn’t mean you’ll find a deal. Here’s a chart for December and January (these are a little cheaper since they are not last-minute and it’s low season):

You’re looking at spending at least $500 USD round-trip on a flight from Johannesburg. From Paris, Air France offers direct round-trip flights for around $800 USD. If you are going from the US, you pay around $1,200 USD for a round-trip ticket. Keep in mind those are low season (October-April) flights. During the high season (also the dry season), you’re looking at flights closer to $2,000 USD for the US and $1,200 USD from Europe. From Canada? Prices start around $1,200 CAD in the low season.

However, it’s not all bad news. There are a few travel hacking opportunities. With some planning you can find a reward flight. You only need 30,000 miles each way from Europe, and Air France has a decent availability (but if you miss the 30,000-point option, you’ll be looking at 60-90,000 points each way). United has very sporadic reward flights on partners starting at 40,000 miles each way, but, sadly, no flights from Johannesburg to Madagascar are bookable on points. Here’s an what I mean:

So it takes some work to get there, but if you can string together some flight deals (check out Scott’s Cheap Flights, The Flight Deal, and Holiday Pirates) as well as mile opportunities, you can lower the cost to an affordable(ish) level.

How to get around Madagascar

Organized tours are the most common way to visit the country. One guide told me that about 80% of visitors come on organized tours, and the other 20% hire a private driver to get around. Most of the tourists are an older, very heavily European crowd. I guess that most younger travelers stay away because getting to the country and tours are so expensive and there’s just not much information on Madagascar.

But let’s change that and talk about how to visit the country:

Organized tours A 14-day tour will cost $2,500–4,000 USD. You���ll stay in mid-range hotels (private bathrooms, hot water, breakfast, and maybe even a pool) and have your own bus with a driver and local guide. You’ll also get private guides at each park who will explain what you’re seeing, help spot animals, and give some added context on the destination. Most of the tours follow the same route, hitting all the big parks and destinations in the center of the country, with added paid add-ons to other parts of the country.

I went with Intrepid Travel Travel on its Experience Madagascar tour as part of my site’s partnership with them. Our guide Patrick was a phenomenal resource, answering all my questions, providing advice, and giving tips on what to see and do in this country that lacks a lot of resources to research.

If it were up to me, I would have focused the trip’s itinerary more. I think Intrepid Travel sometimes tries to do too much; for example, the trip to Ile Saint Marie adds way to much time in the bus. While I liked everything we did, I wish there had been more time visiting each place and less time driving.

Going on your own Madagascar is difficult place to do solo. There’s no tourist infrastructure or hostels, information is limited, and public buses don’t go to many cities and national parks. You’ll need to know French, too, as English is barely spoken. In my opinion, this makes it really arduous to get around without any assistance.

But could you travel around on your own? Sure — though very few people do, it’s totally possible to visit solo. But I think you’d need to be an experienced traveler, really OK being pushed out of your comfort zone, and in absolutely no rush, because getting around on a budget will take time. Since the roads are really bad, getting from point A to B is a challenge. In a public taxi brouse (small van packed to the gills with people), you’ll move slowly. Buses go when they are full. There’s no set timetable. Sometimes they show up; more often than not, they don’t.

(However, seeing the condition of the buses and how many people they cram in there, plus the number of accidents on the road, I’m not sure I’d even get in one. I wouldn’t want to spend 24 hours packed like a chicken in a van with no air conditioning (and sometimes not even windows). I have too much anxiety to whip around on narrow roads.)

Renting a car and driver costs $50 USD a day (or slightly more if you want 4WD) and is the most popular option for people looking to go on their own (and not wanting to wait for the buses). While you could drive on your own, most of the companies I looked at required that a driver go with you.

You can also fly around the island, but there’s only one airline (Air Madagascar), and most routes cost around 200 euros per leg.

Going with the flow is key here if you want to travel solo. You either have to pick a small area to cover or have a month or more set aside to explore Madagascar thoroughly.

So, what should you do? If you’re really looking for some rugged, old-school independent travel, Madagascar is the place to do it. If you have lots of time and are up for a real challenge, go solo but give yourself plenty of time to do so — and learn French! (I really can’t stress the need for knowing French. Outside the big towns and a few tourist areas, English is barely spoken.) You’ll cover slightly more ground and have a lot more freedom if you rent a car and driver.

If you aren’t looking for that kind of rugged experience and would like something more organized, a tour is the best – and really only – option. I wanted a tour to help me get the lay of the land and answer all my questions about the country. Additionally, I don’t speak French and didn’t have a lot of time. A tour was a great orientation to a country that was an enigma to me. It was a wonderful way to meet people in a destination with few independent travelers. (One thing to remember is that the clientele of the tours here is older and the tours cater to that in their itineraries, activities, and accommodation. The tours here aren’t designed for active backpackers.)

If I went back, I’d go by myself but I’m glad I went with a tour on my first visit.

Is Madagascar safe?

When I was wandering around, I never once felt unsafe. I was more of a curiosity than anything, since they see so few tourists, especially those not ensconced in a bus. There are a lot of beggars, especially kids, and you have to just keep saying no and walking away. The taxi drivers here take no for an answer and no one really bugs you.

That said, crime is rife throughout the country, and not one local I knew recommended going out after dark. They don’t even do it. In fact, many hotels in the capital of Antananarivo hire escorts to take people from the hotel to bars or restaurants.

During the day and, especially in smaller villages, walking around is perfectly fine. At night, I would use a lot more caution, especially in the capital.

What are prices like?

Though getting to the country is expensive, once you are there everything is incredibly cheap. Your money goes a long, long way in Madagascar. I went to a local market and spent 100 ARY on a spring roll. After realizing that there are 3,000 ARY to the dollar, that meant I had paid just three cents. As I was still hungry, I bought 15 more.

Even when you are eating at the hotel restaurants the tours go to, most meals aren’t more than $4 USD. In regular, local restaurants, they are half that price.

Madagascar food is mostly chicken, zebu (a type of cattle), pork, stews, and rice. LOTS OF RICE. (Get the Zebu in a stew. It’s better that way.) There’s also a lot of surprisingly good pizza in this country. You’ll definitely need to know French if you go into the non-international places (or travel outside of the cities).

Even on the road, there are a lot of restaurants (again, knowing French is going to be key here, especially outside the capital Antananarivo). Hotels are $20-50 USD per night (on the cheaper range outside the capital). You can easily find accommodation on booking.com. Keep in mind that, again, there are no hostels in the country.

Here are some typical prices:

Meals at restaurants that cater to tourists – 10,000-25,000 ARY ($3-8 USD)

Meals at regular, local restaurants – 3,000-6,000 ($1-2 USD)

Street snacks – 10-200 ARY (up to 5 cents US) (Be sure to try the nem (spring rolls). They are incredible!)

Accommodation – 65,000-160,000 ARY per night ($20-50 USD)

Car with a driver – 160,000 ARY a day ($50 USD)

Grocery prices – 10,000 ARY ($3 USD) (This would get you a kilo of rice, some zebu, and a variety of vegetables.)

SIM Card – 3,100 ARY ($1 USD) for a SIM and 25,000 ARY ($8 USD) per gig of data.

Park entrance fees – 55,000 Ariary ($17 USD) and guides start at 20,000 AR ($6 USD)

Local mini buses – 10,000 – 20,000 ARY ($3-6 USD)

***

Madagascar was a beautiful, raw, and enchanting country. There’s no place like it on earth. Far off the tourist trail, this a destination where your inner Indiana Jones or Anthony Bourdain can be set free to explore. I’m so glad I went, and though the old traveler adage is “I can’t wait to go back,” I suspect that my visit to Madagascar will be the only one in my lifetime. I hope I’m wrong, but given the difficulty getting there, it really can be a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

And I hope you make it in your lifetime!

1 – Official stats are 293,000 but I’ve seen higher and lower figures so consider this an estimate. Links: Source and Source

Note: I went to Madagascar with Intrepid Travel as part of our ongoing partnership. They paid for the tour and my expenses during the trip. I paid for my flights to and from Madagascar. They offer 10% off their tours to readers so click the link and save on your next trip.

P.S. – Want to step up your travel hacking game? I’m speaking at Frequent Traveler University’s Expo in Chicago on November 18th. It’s the world’s largest travel, points, and miles event and there are some good speakers there. You can click here to get your ticket. Also, as a reader of this site, you get 75% off the ticket price with the code “NOMAD”.

The post How to Travel Around Madagascar appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

How to Travel Around Madagascar http://ift.tt/2hvKG14

[keirnytee]

I woke up feeling brand new. I guess that’s what you’re expected to say when your birthday comes right? If that was the case then whoever made that claim, if there was ever a claim like that, lied.

It was indeed my birthday but I didn’t feel brand new. Feeling anew is complete hogwash. I felt the same as I did when I went to bed. What I knew for sure was that this birthday would be one to remember for years to come. I will say, I was extremely happy that I was now twenty 7 and not 26 cuz I’m not really a fan of even numbers. LOL. Weird, I know. Who am I kidding here? My birthday was here and I couldn’t have been any happier. 

As most of my friends know, my birthday is sort of a BIG DEAL to ME. I always try to do something different each time. It’s like I have to compete with myself and outdo my last birthday event. So finally, I would be able to do that. If you just stumbled upon this blog, there are three more before this which will serve as the pretext to some examples. Check them out here; part 1, part 2, part 3. As mentioned previously, I was on a very tight budget. 500 USD could do so much and no more. Heck, I’ve lost track of the figures but I’m sure I was down to my last 250 USD. This would be the culmination of an epic adventure and I was ready blow all my money on this day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEIRN

The staff came knocking at my door with the utmost urgency. They mentioned the ‘manager’ wanted to speak to me before I headed out. I was taken aback for a nano second then it hit me, this was a ruse to get me out in the garden for my surprise. When I made the reservation for Rudy’s Airbnb I mentioned to him that this was my birthday gift to myself and that my actual birthday would be my final day in Bali. It also didn’t help that on the notice board they had written down “Get Keirn a cake for his birthday”. Haha! I played along like I was completely oblivious to what was about to happen and quickly got dressed.

When I arrived in the garden, the ‘manager’ (I think his name was Theo), Budi and the fully recovered Wayan exclaimed the authorities contacted them because of my semi display of public nudity on temple grounds. I knew this wasn’t true but it was so creative. If I was any other foreigner, I probably would have fell for it but I’m too quick. The told me to have a seat and that they’d explain to me what will happen. I for sure whipped out my phone and snapped the whole thing. Wayan and Budi sat with me to try and sell the lie even more but they couldn’t keep a straight face. Out of nowhere, well out of the main area, Theo appeared with a beautiful cake and started singing happy birthday to me. Two other guests were in the garden as well and joined in. In true KT (that’s me) fashion I smiled the whole time. I was so happy. My cake was beautiful but I couldn’t eat any of it because I would be going to the beach and I needed my ab-less belly to look as good as it can. Can you blame a guy for trying to look good on his birthday? LOL LOL LOL. I mean, I’m no Tyson Beckford.

  SOUTH BALI HERE COMES KEIRN

I really did save the best bits for last on this trip. Although I had a great time with Budi as my driver the day before, I was happy to have Wayan back. We had built a stronger bond as driver and passenger the first two days, that it was right he drove me around on my birthday. This I think is a major factor in determining how a solo traveler will enjoy his/her rides in a foreign country. I had photo shoot in mind the very first time I saw graffiti on the walls close to the villa and Wayan would be the perfect photographer for this. Upon leaving the compound, my phone rang with the first cellphone birthday greeting of the day. That call meant a lot to me because it was from loved ones whom I missed dearly. Tears.

Wayan did his thing with the camera and captured some really amazing shots. He even tried directing me. I had to stop him in his tracks. No one directs my photo shoots. I had planned this over in my head a million times. My only issue was the fact that I still couldn’t do a jump shot without looking awkward. HAHA. I crack myself up.

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“I thought I was done with monkeys for the rest of my time in Bali but I was sadly mistaken.”

After the photo shoot we headed for another temple, Uluwatu. While on the way I started to change in the car because it was like 30°C and that black leather jacket and long black pants was a big no-no. The heat had us parched, so Wayan stopped at a convenience store so we could refresh ourselves. I think he was more elated than I was for this quick rest stop. I hadn’t gotten over the fact that the monkeys stole me Oreo cookies the day before so I bought another pack along with a bottle of water. Before we arrived at our destination, I made sure to thank Wayan for driving me around and for being my ‘friend’ for the past couple of days. I put friend in quotation because I had to trust him with driving me around, safely, and for listening and conversing with me. I’d have gone mad. Ha!

When we arrived, I realized I had to wear a sarong again so I had to change once more. I put my pants back on because it was long enough for me not to wear a sarong inside the temple’s compound. I had to, however, wear a sash of sorts around my waist. Wayan snickered. Curious, I asked why. He then informed me that this place had monkeys and that I should put my glasses inside my bag as well as my Oreos. I thought he was joking because after the episode I had with the monkeys in Sangeh, I didn’t think I’d encounter anymore, at least not this soon. Still in disbelief, I walked over to the ticket counter and there it was. A warning that visitors should be aware of the monkeys. I thought I was done with monkeys for the rest of my time in Bali but I was sadly mistaken. Why on earth did he bring me here? Why did I pay to go in? I did this once before so I should be able to this with ease.

Here’s Wayan

Uluwatu was picturesque. It felt very Greece (well the touristy image of it) but instead of white buildings overlooking the sea, we were surrounded by trees with the temple at the top of what seemed to be a stairway to heaven, with the gorgeous ocean in the background. The sun was red. The heat was becoming unbearable. While walking and capturing pictures we came upon some monkeys. Oh lord! I began sweating profusely. Here we go again, I thought. Luckily, some other tourists were walking toward us and the monkeys dispersed. Moments later a monkey stole Wayan‘s hat and ran off with it. My Oreo was used as a ploy to get the monkey to drop the hat for Wayan to get it. I teased him the whole time cuz he gave me a warning he didn’t follow. Uluwatu was fun but I was ready to go.

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ONE STOP AT THE MULIA PLEASE

One of the main things I had set out to do while in Bali was to live like a Bravolebrity. The Mulia offered just that. After seeing that epic storm off Tamra Judge did on their final night in Bali, I knew I had to see this beautiful place myself. The site was a sight to see. I couldn’t believe a place like this existed. I mean for an average minimum of 350 USD a night it had to be beautiful. The open space architecture gave The Mulia and ethereal feel. I felt like I was floating as I walked through the halls of this magnificent hotel. To be fair, it reminded me of Iberostar, Jamaica. I, however, had one mission and that was to reenact Tamra’s storm off and troll her with it on Twitter. I did everything leading up to the storm off until I got stuck. I couldn’t find the right angle where the producers captured the incident. I was beyond frustrated. I didn’t expect it to be like that. Wayan was trying to be supportive by saying I should shoot it anyways, but I needed it to be perfect. If I was going to be running through the halls of this hotel, I needed to do it right. Since I couldn’t get it done, I was now left with one thing to do, hit the beach. After all, I still hadn’t eaten.

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DA DA BALI – GOODBYE BALI

After a long day, I needed to get back to the resort so I could pack because my flight back to Japan was just hours away. Before I knew it Wayan was taking me to the airport and shortly after, I was checking in. I had the best time of my life and I am so grateful to GOD for giving me another year of life and for the opportunities given to me. My trip was amazing and Rudy’s Airbnb made it very memorable. Da Da Bali.

Some people want dive out of a plane, some want to swim with sharks. Me? I will return to shoot that video in The Mulia for my own benefit. LOL.

Till next time.

reallyGOBBY: Keirn

TWENTY 7 IN BALI: Part 4 I woke up feeling brand new. I guess that's what you're expected to say when your birthday comes right?